Project Gutenberg 2004-12-30 Public domain in the USA. 165 Crawford, F. Marion (Francis Marion) 1854 1909 Crawford, Francis Marion The Little City of Hope: A Christmas Story Produced by Audrey Longhurst, Melissa Er-Raqabi and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team "The Little City of Hope: A Christmas Story" by F. Marion Crawford is a novel set in the early 20th century that explores themes of hope, despair, and the spirit of Christmas. The story follows John Henry Overholt, an inventor struggling to complete his Air-Motor while facing financial ruin and personal hardship. His dreams of success come into conflict with the realities of poverty, particularly as the festive season approaches, leaving him anxious about providing for his son, Newton. At the start of the narrative, we see John Henry grappling with the weight of his failed inventions and dwindling resources as he sits metaphorically on Pandora's box, representing his remaining hope. He reflects on his difficulties with funding, the absence of his wife, and the looming disappointment of a bleak Christmas for his son. Through his interactions with a neighbor, we learn of his past successes and the poor decisions leading to his current plight. The opening chapters establish a poignant connection between father and son, revealing Newton's innocence and practical outlook, while foreshadowing his determination to support his father against the backdrop of their shared struggles. Together, they embark on creative endeavors, building a model city that embodies hope and resilience, even as external circumstances threaten to extinguish their dreams. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 73.7 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Christmas stories PS Text Category: Novels 173907 2025-08-06T10:14:36.384096 text/html 155601 2024-10-28T21:35:03 text/html 140701 2025-08-06T10:14:42.559096 application/epub+zip 140124 2025-08-06T10:14:39.407097 application/epub+zip 128169 2025-08-06T10:14:38.161105 application/epub+zip 292066 2025-08-06T10:14:44.899082 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 270982 2025-08-06T10:14:41.798176 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 200304 2022-09-07T16:58:11.565203 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 156762 2025-08-06T10:14:35.991093 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 136864 2024-10-28T21:35:03 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16006 2025-08-06T10:14:45.016070 application/rdf+xml 14752 2025-08-06T10:14:38.657103 image/jpeg 3531 2025-08-06T10:14:38.412090 image/jpeg 133217 2025-08-06T10:14:36.398133 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia